Environment Editor, The Sydney Morning Herald

A cooler cut: Owners worried about their dogs overheating have been keeping pet groomers busy all month. Photo: Brendan Esposito

These are dog days for Sydney's pet groomers, with the record autumn heat keeping salons running at a busy clip.

''It's more people worried that the dogs are probably feeling the heat,'' said Marnie Glenn, a manager at Tails R Wagging in Rozelle. ''Normally we might have to let groomers go at this stage [of the year] but we haven't had to do that.''

The city extended its warm spell for any time of the year - based on a divergence from long-run averages - to a record 10th day on Monday, with a top of 28 degrees forecast for Tuesday.

So far in May, the city's average tops are running a good half degree above the previous record of 22.7 degrees set 56 years ago.

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The exceptional warmth also means Sydney will likely set a new high for autumn heat, beating 2006's average of 24.1 degrees, said Acacia Pepler, a climatologist at the Bureau of Meteorology.

''It's really the persistence of this heatwave that's standing out,'' Ms Pepler said, noting May had already had twice as many days above 22 degrees than the previous record.

For Matt Frack, who runs the Water Spaniel mobile dog grooming in Freshwater, a break in the warm spell would be welcome.

''Usually the quicker winter arrives, the quicker I get a rest,'' Mr Frack said, adding the late-season warmth had him booked out.

Brett Dutschke, a senior meteorologist with Weatherzone, said a combination of low-pressure systems may finally - but briefly - snap the run of warm days this weekend.

Rainfall totals for Sydney may get a much-needed top up, perhaps as much as 35 millimetres over the weekend, the bureau estimates.

So far this month, Sydney has only had 25 millimetres of rain, or about one-fifth of the average.

For the year so far, the city has had 324 millimetres of rain, or about 54 per cent of the January-to-May average, Mr Dutschke said.

Those dry conditions have contributed to the record warmth, with fewer cloudy days to curb daytime temperatures and a dwindling amount of soil moisture to evaporate. The weekend's cooler conditions are likely to be temporary before above-normal temperatures return. ''I can't see a cold spell coming in the next fortnight,'' Mr Dutschke said.

Climate experts say the chance of breaking heat records is increasing as global warming pushes up background conditions. ''Australia has warmed by about a degree over the last century which makes it more favourable for these warm temperatures,'' Ms Pepler said.

The city's hottest autumn follows the warmest winter and spring last year.